Everyone has a dryness of the mouth once in a while. It happens when we’re nervous, upset, or under stress. That’s perfectly normal. However, if you experience such a thing every day, your mouth is trying to tell you something. It is caused by a decrease in the amount of saliva produced.
Here’s some it can be irritating and mildly uncomfortable for others. it can be seriously debilitating. When there isn’t enough saliva to lubricate your mouth, it’s hard to speak, chew and, swallow. but saliva also has other important functions:
it helps kill the bacteria that cause tooth decay, gum disease and other oral infections. It buffers against cavities. That means if you have dryness of the mouth, you are more susceptible to potentially serious oral health problems.
People with this kind of situation often experience oral infections for sense sore throats and bad breath. They may also have trouble tasting and even experience a burning sensation in their mouth and, a dry feeling in their throat, cracked lips, a dry rough tongue and, mouth sores also are symptoms of it.
What Causes Dry Mouth Frequently?
A dry mouth is a side effect of taking medication. Dryness of the mouth is listed as a potential side effect of more than 400 medications.
A dry mouth also could be a sign of a serious health problem like diabetes or autoimmune syndromes. Other possible causes include radiation therapy and chemotherapy. People with Alzheimer’s disease or who suffer a stroke. We’ve been known to experience dry mouth too the good news. Is that can you do something about it?
if you have a dry mouth, try these strategies:
- brush and floss twice a day
- use alcohol-free oral rinses
- chew sugarless gum
- sip water or snack on
- ice chips
- avoid alcohol, caffeine, carbonated beverages and smoking
- avoid certain highly acidic juices such as orange, grapefruit and, tomato
- avoid dry foods such as post or crackers
- avoid overly salty foods and use a humidifier at night
Dryness of the Mouth and Some Products That Can Help
There are three common causes that we want to talk to you about as far as what can cause a dry mouth.
Most likely, it’s due to medications but also someone can have a dry mouth if they are dehydrated or even have an autoimmune disease that causes your glands not to produce enough saliva. So, why is this a big deal?
Someone with a dry mouth can have pain or discomfort. A dry mouth can cause bad breath, as well as lead to an increased risk for developing cavities. Your saliva is made up of minerals and these minerals in the saliva can help protect the teeth and kind of coat the teeth during sleep or throughout the day which helps to protect from cavities. So, if you are lacking saliva, then you are going to be at a higher risk of developing cavities. As far as the discomfort that can be felt with a dry mouth, many people describe it as a burning feeling or their mouth feeling so dry that they have trouble with speaking or even eating.
What Can You Do If You Have A Dry Mouth?
So, the question is, what can you do if you have a dry mouth to relieve these symptoms or even make it feel a little bit better?
- The first thing I would recommend is to make sure that you’re hydrated. Drinking enough water will help, even momentarily, to relieve your symptoms but also, if there is dehydration, then drinking more water will help to get rid of the dry mouth altogether.
- There are also some products that you can switch to if you have a dry mouth. Some kinds of toothpaste and mouthwashes are formulated specifically for people with dry mouths. Biotene is a brand that removes some of the agents in their toothpaste that will dry you out, specifically sodium lauryl sulphate among others, as well as add minerals to the toothpaste that will again help to protect your teeth and, that way there are minerals present that might not be due to the lack of saliva. Their mouthwash functions in the same way, and both are just more gentle so that the mouth if it already feels like it’s burning or painful, will be more gentle on the tissue so that the patient will feel more comfortable. They also make a gel and a dry mouth spray.
The moisturizing gel is a Biotene gel and the directions say to put an inch-long portion on your tongue and smooth it around. As I said, they’re just much more gentle.
It has kind of a fruity taste. You put a little on your tongue, kind of spread it all the way around along the cheeks and tongue. We think specifically, this is good for using at night since it kind of coats the tissue, the cheeks, the tongue, the lips and things like that, and it helps to retain moisture so when you’re sleeping, things are – your mouth is feeling more comfortable. During nighttime is a common time when the mouth gets very dry and can wake people up because it’s so uncomfortable.
We think this gel is a great option and like I said, I think it best would be – you could use it any time of the day – but I think at night time would be a great use for this – this product. And it is okay to swallow so, as long as you’re using the amounts prescribed, you’re okay there. - The last option here is called Xerostomia Relief Spray.
Xerostomia is another word for dry mouth. It comes in little bottles, and it was easy to get through your dental office. The directions for this are to shake gently and then two sprays in the mouth, three to four times a day. I think it says you got to prime it a little. Then once you spray it, you swish it around again just like the paste. We would say as far as taste goes, the same kind of fruity, maybe a little more minty taste, and it’s less thick than the gel so if the thickness kind of bothered you. Bothered you with the gel. I think the spray would be a good option. Again, for this spray, it recommends three to four times a day, really whenever, in those periods, if your mouth is feeling dry, it would be a good option.
